Spike Lee speaks the real on the state of Hollywood and violence in Chicago

The Chi-raq director demanded, “We need to have people of color who have the green light vote.”

The School Daze creator talked boldly about the film industry’s need to add people of color behind the scenes and in front of cameras. Roland Martin inquired about what led him to make the speech:

“Well, I had the audience that needed to hear that. And it was my duty. I had to say what I had to say. I stayed respectful, and the biggest thing was that I did not lie. I told the truth…One thing that was written on my notes I was unable to say because I just messed up. We forget about being president of a studio.’

Lee clapped back voicing, “You know, it’s a lot of people [who] judge the film on two minutes and 30-second trailer. And that’s hard to do. And they were off put by satire. I like to say satire has been with us a long time. And this is not the first film in America cinema that’s used satire to address various serious subject matter.”

He examines the crime in Chicago closely, remarking on the economic issues that have influenced the violence:

“I do think speaking to the brothers in the streets in the south side, they need jobs. You know, these young brothers, feel like no one cares about them. No one loves them. They have no hope. They have no future. That’s why they’re okay. If they don’t live past 18 years old; if you don’t care about your own life, you don’t care about anybody else. That’s the type of person that will put a gun to the back of TyShaun Lee’s head and pull the trigger twice and shoot him numerous times to his body.”